I would call myself a "sun opportunist," in that I keep it in the periphery. I had some work to do - packing up and finalizing my accommodation in Barcelona. This one was not easy and what I had been working on for several days. The amount that I was quoted was less than the actual amount when I went to book.
Eventually I found out that I was being charged a weekend rate. I was barely aware that I was booking on a weekend. After several closed bookings and the disappointment of not staying in those places, I finally secured a bed in Barcelona. I am grateful that there are lots of choices.
Once that was done and the sun came out, I went down to the Sea and wandered around, watching from the shade. Two reasons: I was wearing a black shirt (what???) and I would be tempted to go in the water.
I had a lovely last stroll through Sant Antoni de Pontmany.
And I found my way to the bus station, winding my way through the streets. The walk is about 15 minutes though I would be hard pressed to find it on my own. I had a real sense of accomplishment at saving myself 6 Euros by not taking a taxi. It amuses me to no end when I do something that seems difficult at the beginning.
And then it started raining. Again.
Mini flooding. I was quite fortunate in that I never got caught in the downpour. Other passengers were not so lucky. We picked up a couple along the way who were waiting underneath a bus stop, not very much protection. They were wet. When we got off the bus at the airport, the man lifted my suitcase off the bus for me. Generosity in the midst of his own trials. Thank you.
The flight from Ibiza to Valencia was 30 minutes. Maybe. I explained to the flight attendant that I had a sore knee and I got a front row seat. I am mostly having trouble with stairs but what was entertaining was that when we boarded the plane, I had to go down 3 flights of stairs to get onto the tarmac to go up to the plane. My knee was saying, "what the hell!" Probably that was my mind. My knee was probably begging, "Can we just go slow?"
I am doing remarkably well with the knee. I faithfully do the exercises prescribed by the Victoria Athletic Therapist, Eryn. I am frequently caught unawares by the amount of walking that I am doing. And the surprise stairs.
Landing in Valencia was easy. I went by cab to my new abode. I am staying with a delightful family of 3. I felt quite welcomed! There are several house guests including one from France who also speaks English and Spanish fluently. She is priceless when I get myself into language pickles.
I know quite a few words in Spanish. The challenge now is to string them together. I find that people are quite helpful and can understand me when I don't need anything too complicated. And I had a conversation with the man of the house yesterday - several sentences! It went like this:
- How are you doing?
- Well. I am a little tired. And you?
- I am well.
- Did you go downtown today?
- Yes.
- On the tram and Metro?
- Yes.
The short sentences were me.
The home is beautiful. Below is a picture of the front courtyard of my new place:
And the inside:
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